sanctions law targeting russians accused of human rights abuses. former president george h.w. bush was said to be alert and improving today. a family spokesman said he's even singing with doctors and nurses. mr. bush is 88 years old. he's been hospitalized in houston with complications from bronchitis. this week, he was placed in intensive care, but in an e-mail yesterday, his chief of staff said the former president wants people to put the harps back in the closet. those are some of the day's major stories. now, back to margaret. >> warner: the victim of a horrific gang rape in india died tonight at a hospital in singapore. the attack enraged much of the country, and the reaction caught the government off-guard. ray suarez has more. >> suarez: the fury across india has been building for nearly two weeks, since a 23-year-old medical student was gang-raped and then thrown from this bus in new delhi. sexual assaults are rife in india, especially in new delhi, where, on average, there's a rape reported every 18 hours. but this time, the extreme brutality of the crime ignited outr